Melissa's blog

These are the things Niranjana said she wants to be and do when she grows up, not necessarily in priority order. The sweet thing is that she was practicing her writing, so we spelled some of the words out for her — but I have them in her hand.

Be a chef

Visit India

Be a mommy

Be a family

Be a genius

Andy and I were at a winemaker's dinner recently and I was randomly seated next to a couple who had moved to the Tri-Cities last summer. They moved here from the other side of the country for the wife's science-related job at the Hanford site.

The wife seemed just fine. I was next to the man. He was from the south, maybe about 60, retired from a government job. And he greeted me by commenting about how refreshing it is to live in such a Republican area.

When Niranajana grooves to music, she tends to do a vigorous forward head bob that resembles therapeutic rocking. It drives the teachers nuts during group time. But it's not a counseling issue, it really is how she gets into the rhythm.

Tonight I suggested that Niranjana try messing with the teachers by doing what Indians do — moving her shoulders up and down to the beat.

But our little Indian girl is not inclined to change up her dance style.

"I'm not part of them anymore," she said when I demonstrated the Indian shoulder move. "I'm a citizen of the United States."

I am blatantly stealing two blog items from Aunt April. But they involve Niranjana
:)

April to her 3-year-old daughter: "Skadi where were you before you were in my tummy?"

Skadi: "North America."

April: "What were you doing?"

Skadi: "Just playing dolls and stuff."

Leif (age 6-1/2): "Mom, babies come from EITHER places or tummies."

April: "No, all babies come from tummies."

Leif: "No mom, you are wrong, some come from places."

April: "What do you mean?"

Leif: "Well we came from your tummy, but Niranjana came from India and that is a place."

We have had a run of live-action PG movies. We are ending this run, however, after Niranjana has expressed an undue amount of concern over some of the plot and characters. And here we thought she was up to it. She said she wasn't scared .... oops.

Here are some sample questions:

Whose team would you rather be on: The White Witch (Narnia), Medusa (Percy Jackson & The Olympians) or mine? (Duh, the answer is Niranjana's team)

Why does Medusa have snakes on her head?

The forecast calls for highs of 75 at Disneyland!

Yikes! But in a good way .... It feels bitterly cold here today and we're supposed to get hit with snow and ice on Monday.

Still, 75 degrees! I need to significantly change my packing strategy.

"Leif isn't my best friend any more," Niranjana announced.

"Why, what happened?" I ask, concerned. I'm thinking, Leif is our favorite boy and we're very close with his family. I don't want to have to call his mother about anything.

Turns out, no phone call needed. Here's the situation:

"He keeps sticking his tongue out at me. And now I'm not going to marry him."

Oooohkay. I have a feeling this will work itself out without counseling.

And we are getting SO excited about it!

We have been looking at the Disneyland Resort web site for several months. Here are some of the things we're especially looking forward to.

Niranjana's first ride will be on the spinning teacups.
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/mad-tea-party/

I finally called Disney Dining and was able to get all the reservations I wanted. Seems mid-January is not a fashionable time to go to Disneyland, so the reservation lady was congratulating me on our timing. It had nothing to do with me...it's all about someone's 7th birthday.

It's 7:45 a.m. on New Year's Day. I've been up for 45 minutes enjoying the quiet. I made coffee, fed the cats, then caught up on Facebook and some friends' blogs.

As 2010 draws to a close, Andy and I have been stunned by the many changes. Some were subtle, others we had to slog through to accomplish. It *almost* was enough for a complete A to Z list. But rather than be perfectionistic, I thought it was better to get this done. The blog has suffered this year and we are making efforts to revive it.

A — American. At long last, Niranjana attained her U.S. Citizenship this fall. She was too young for a ceremony (or a test), but we did receive a nice certificate.

B — Books.